Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Things are all a bit dark and forbodin' in Luther, the grimly exciting four-part police drama on BBC One.

﻿﻿﻿﻿Idris Elba plays DCI John Luther and he's all cool and a bit cockney of course, but he is also most definitely Troubled, as the best detectives are.

There's a bit of back-story bobbin' about as this second series begins, but it's not essential to really know about it.

I imagine it was something all dark and forbodin' anyway. [It was: Luther's ex-wife was murdered and he was framed for it, to summarise]

But the programme's all about the atmosphere: shadowy, night-time London; a 'haunting' soundtrack that either sounds like an upset string-like instrument or a lady holding one high note, and a stroppy young 'sex worker' that Luther's trying to help.

They form the backdrop to the main story involving a killer with a taste for murdering in front of CCTV cameras, while wearing a vintage Punch (as in Punch and Judy) mask.

He also phones his victims' contacts with the chant: "I am the sunrise," just to add a bit of colour.

It's a rich old soup, this, and it's all done with the dimmer switch down. This is most definitely a joke-free zone - they could all do with a week in Tenerife.

And of Luther's two sidekicks, his new one, DS Erin Gray, is cautious about Luther's reputation, while also appearing a bit eager to please too - most of her lines are just 'stuff that she's doing', as if to impress.

She says: "I'll source the chant, and the mask: I'll check websites and see who's buying and selling."